Gluing-machine.



W. D. KELLY.

GLUING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 1914 Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

W. D. KELLY.

GLUING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 1 914.

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WILLIAM ID. KELLY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO KELBU'E MANUFACTURING- COIVIPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

,/ GLUING-MACI-IINE.

Application filed October 29, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLL-ur D. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gluing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to gluing machines for use in wood-working and similar shops where materials are joined by means of glue.

Specifically my invention comprises a flexible glue-applying plate and means for operating it to apply glue rapidly to large quantities of materials.

Considerable difliculty has been expe rienced in applying glue e'lliciently and economically to materials in quantity by the methods and devices heretofore in use. This difficulty has been accentuated where the materials presented an uneven surface. The application for example of glue to woodwork provided with tongues and grooves has been accomplished by hand by means of a brush or by a glue wheel necessitating the movement of the piece or pieces treated across the surface of the wheel, requiring considerable time and resulting in the loss of glue which drips from the material as it leaves the wheel. The glue, moreover, frequently deposited by this device on other parts of the work than that intended, which entails considerable work in removing the excess glue before a finish can be applied.

It is an object of my invention to overcome the defects of the methods and apparatus previously used and to provide a device which will rapidly and efficiently apply glue to surfaces even or uneven without waste of the glue.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a device which will allow the operator totreat a number of pieces or articles at one time and which will automatically straighten and arrange the pieces for treatment as they are placed in the machine.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent as it is better understood by reference to the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 1s a vertical section on the hne 1--1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2%, 1915.

Serial No. 869,201.

ments, and Fig. 1 is a detail in elevation of a special form of flexible element.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a frame forming a support for the machine. A tank 2 is mounted thereon and is adapted to contain water, a steam coil 3 being pro vided to heat the water. It is obvious that other heating means may be employed, the steam coil representing merely the preferred embodiment of my device. A second tankl is disposed within the tank 2 and bolted thereto. The tank 1 is adapted to contain glue which is kept in liquid condition by the heat from the water in the tank.

A shaft 5 is mounted in suitable bearings 6, secured to the frame 1, and carries the fast and loose pulleys 7 and 8, respectively, which may be driven from any suitable source of power. A worm 9 is secured to the shaft 5 and engages a worm gear 10 mounted on the shaft 11. A cam disk 12 having a cam track 18 is secured to the shaft 11 at either end of the machine. Reciprocating rods 14 are mounted in the guides 15 at either end of the machine and adapted to be vertically reciprocated by the cam disk 12 through the medium of rollers 16 running in slots 13.

The reciprocating rods 14: engage at their upper ends the sleeves 17 slid-ably supported on the spindles 18 which are securely bolted to the flanges 19 of the tanks 2 and 1. The sleeves 17 are provided with downwardly extending arms 20 having outwardly extending portions 21 forming the supports for the glue-applying plate.

The glue-applying plate comprises side members 22 disposed lengthwise of the machine. Rods 28 are mounted at convenient intervals between the members 22 and form the supports for the flerible elements 2 1, which make up the face of the flexible glueapplying plate. The elements 2%, as shown in Fig. 3, comprise springs having a flat upper face 25, vertical end portions 26, inwardly and upwardly bent portions 27 and vertically disposed ends 28 adapted at their extremities to surround a pair ofrods 23.

As mounted in the machine the elements 24:

flexible face of the flez ilole glue-spreading plate, which might result in the application of glue to portions of the work not intended to be treated.

At either end of the machine, disposed at any convenient distance apart, the rods 29 are mounted in brackets 30 and 31, the reds being adapted to support the work which is being treated in the machine. Since the Work is to be disposed on the upper face of the rods 29 it is obvious that the glue-spreading plate must be so arranged that its surface will rise to a point above the upper surface of the rods. It is necessary, therefore, to provide a special flexible element having a depression in its upper face, as indicated in Fig. 4, to receive the rods 29 as the flexible glue-spreading plate moves upwardly into contact with the work. The flexible element shown in Fig. 4 differs from that previously described merely in the depression 32 in the surface portion 25. The brackets 31 are provided with upstanding portions 33 which form back-rests and guides against which the work 84 is pressed and which causes it to be disposed in a substantial vertical position, as indicated in Fig. 1. The backrests 33 together with the rods 29 cause the work as it is placed in the machine to automatically level itself with the edges in substantial alinement so that glue is applied to only such parts of the work as is desired.

It is thought that the operation of my device will be clear Without further descripticn. The glue in the tank 4: being heated until it is of the proper consistency, power is transmitted to the shaft 5 from a suitable source. Through the medium of cam plates 12 and rollers 16, the rods 14 are reciprocated vertically carrying with them the flexible glue-applying plate. As will be seen from Fig. 3 the elements 2% are disposed in staggered relation so that they form a substantially continuous face. Since, however, every element is independent the face of the glue-applying plate is flexible and conforms readily to any surface with which it comes in contact. As the flexible glue-spreading plate which has been submerged in the glue rises therefrom the surplus glue drains from the faces 25 of the elements 24, leaving sufficient glue only to be applied to the surfaces to be treated. The operator grasps a plurality of pieces which may be more or less in number, depending on the length of the pieces and the strength of the individual, and places them on the rods 29 against the back-rests 33, as indicated in Fig. 1. The flexible glue-applying plate rises until the elements 24 engage any prominences on the surface to be treated. These elements are depressed and the remaining elements contact with any depressions which may be present in the surface treated. The flexible glue-applying plate then recedes into the tank 4: to obtain a fresh supply of glue and the operator removes the work and substitutes a new lct therefor. This operz tion may be continued indefinitely, it being understood that if an extra. supply of glue is required the work may be left on the rods 29 during a plurality of successive operations of the flexible glue-spreading plate.

It will be understood that I have succeeded in perfecting a flexible glue-applying plate and operating means therefor which overcomes the dil'liculties which have been experienced in the use of methods and devices of the prior art. By the use of my device the glue is applied to the edges of woodwork provided with tongues and grooves in a single operation over the entire surface to be treated and the work is delivered to the operatcr with the glue in the same condition throughout ready for its successive treatment. The machine is extremely rapid in operation for the reason that a large surface may be treated at one time. There is no waste of valuable glue in the operation of my machine for the reason that the surplus glue drains from the flexible plate as it moves upwardly and the plate carries only suliieient glue to the work to accomplish the result desired. The rods 29 and the back-rests 33 prevent the necessity of squaring the work before it is placed on the machine and, moreover. automatically cause the work to be placed in proper position to receive glue only on such surfaces as are intended to be treated.

It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the inven tion, or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a. preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A glue-applying surface having substantial length and breadth and comprising a series of thin flat individually flexible and yieldingly mounted members arranged parallel and so closely adjacent each other that the spaces therebetween are less than the surface of a member.

2. A flexible glue-applying plate comprising a vertically reciprocable support and a plurality of relatively thin yieldingly mounted elements carried thereby, each comprising a flat glue-applying face of substantial width, said faces being normally disposed in the same plane and spaced from each other a distance less than the width of the individual faces.

3. A flexible glue-applying plate comprising a frame, and a plurality of independent flexible elements mounted thereon in staggered relation, each provided With a flat glue-applying face, said faces being disposed in substantially the same plane.

I. A flexible glue-applying plate comprlsing oppositely arranged supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetWeen, connecting and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of relatively thin elements yieldingly mounted on said rods, each comprising a glueapplying face of substantial Width, said faces being normally disposed in the same plane and spaced from each other a distance less than the Width of the individual faces.

5. In a flexible glue-applying plate, the combination of supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetiveen, connected and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of independent glue-applying elements flexibly supported in staggered relation on said rods.

6. In a flexible glue-applying plate, the combination of supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetiveen connecting and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of independent elements arranged in staggered relation, each comprising a flat glue-applying face and flexible supporting means engaging said rods.

7. In a. flexible glue-applying plate, the combination of supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetWeen, connecting and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of flexible glueapplying elements, each supported on a pair of said rods and engaging a pair of said rods adjacent said supporting rods.

8. In a flexible glue-applying plate, the combination of supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetween connecting and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of elements, each comprising a glue-applying face and flexible supporting means therefor mounted on a pair of said rods and disposed beneath an adjacent pair of said rods to prevent movement of said face above a fixed plane.

9. In a flexible glue-applying plate, the combination of supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetween connecting and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of elements, each comprising a flat glue-applying face and flexible supporting means therefor mounted on a pair of said rods and disposed beneath an adjacent pair of said rods to prevent movement of said face above a fixed plane.

10. In a flexible glue-applying plate, the combination of supporting members, a plurality of rods disposed therebetween connecting and supported by said supporting members, and a plurality of elements arranged in staggered relation, each comprising a glue-applying face and flexible sup porting means therefor mounted on a pair of said rods and operatively engaging an adjacent pair of said rods to prevent movement of said face above a fixed plane.

11. In a gluing machine, the combination of a frame, a glue tank mounted thereon, and glue-applying means comprising a support mounted above and vertically reciprocable into and out of said tank, and a plurality of independent flexible elements having flat glue-applying faces mounted on said support.

12. In a gluing machine, the combination of a frame, a glue tank mounted thereon, glue-applying means comprising a support mounted above and vertically reciprocable into and out of said tank, and a plurality of independent flexible elements having flat glue-applying faces of substantial Width mounted on said support and means for reciprocating said glue-applying means.

13. In a gluing machine, the combination of a frame, a glue tank mounted thereon, glue-applying means disposed above and vertically reciprocable into and out of said tank comprising a plurality of independent flexible elements having flat glue-applying faces, means for reciprocating said glueapplying means, and means above said tank to support the material to be treated in the path of said glue-applying means.

14. A glue plate for a gluing machine, comprising a plurality of resilient gluecarrying elements having elongated horizontally disposed glue-applying surfaces arranged in parallel staggered relation closely adjacent to each other, normally disposed in a common plane and presenting collectively a continuous substantially horizontal gluing surface of substantial area, each of said elements being yieldingly supported beneath the glue-carrying portion so that the elements may yield independently under pressure applied to their glue-carrying surfaces.

15. A glue plate for a gluing machine, comprising a base and a plurality of gluecarrying elements mounted on and carried above said base, each of said elements comprising an elongated horizontally disposed glue-applying portion, said elements being arranged in staggered relation with the surfaces of their glue-applying portions normally disposed in a common plane and each element being yieldingly supported on said base whereby the elements are adapted to yield independently of each other to conform to the surface being glued and at the same time apply glue thereto throughout the lengths of their glue-applying portions.

16. A glue plate for a gluing machine, comprising a base and a series of glue-carrying elements mounted thereon in parallel staggered relation to present a flat horizontally disposed gluing surface, each of the elements constituting said surface comprising a flat elongated yieldingly supported glue-applying portion adapted to yield toward the base independent of the other elements under pressure exerted upon the upper surface thereof.

17. A glue plate for a gluing machine comprising a vertically reciprccable base, and a series of elongated glue-carrying elements mounted thereon in substantially parallel relation, each of said elements com prising a glue-applying portion disposed substantially in a plane with the glue-carrying portions of the other elements, and a resilient portion connected at one end to each glue-carrying portion and at the other end to said base at a substantial distance from said glue-carrying portion, all of the said resilient supporting portions being substan tially the same length.

18. The combination of a glue plate, comprising a Vertically reciprccable base and a series of parallel glue carrying elements yieldingly supported in proximate relation on said base, each of said elements having a glue carrying portion of substantial length disposed in a plane common to all the elements whereby a flat substantially continuous surface is produced adapted to automatically conform to the surface with which it is brought in contact, and means for reciprocating said base and the elements carried thereby.

19. The combination of a glue plate, C0111- prising a base and a series of glue carrying elements yieldingly supported in proximate relation on said base, each of said elements having a glue carrying portion of substantial length disposed in a plane common to all of the elements above the base to produce a flat substantially continuous glue carrying surface, and means for reciprocating said base and the elements carried thereby in a line perpendicular to the glue carrying surface of said plate.

WILLIAM D. KELLY.

Vvitnesses:

Ennns'r H. MERCHANT, WV. T. VVESTERBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

